"It is easy to
get good at harmonica.
It is really, really hard to get really, really good
at harmonica."
Rich "ATOM" Baum
So, Ed
(on the left) said "Don't get me started..."
Welcome to my harmonica Song Key web
site!
Ever hear a song on the radio and wish you
could play along? Well, for your enjoyment, I have also added diatonic
harmonica tabs to assist you in playing along. In many cases I have
several MIDI's that you can try to play along with. I have placed an "*"
next to the MIDI that helped me generate that tab. You will also note I
have included the Beats Per Minute (BPM) to assist in playing. By knowing
the Song Key used by the artist, you can use that harmonica key or a different
position to play along with the song. If the harmonica tab is in
Chromatic, it is labeled as Song Tab-C.
This is a collection of much of the harmonica
information I have gathered over the past seven years assembled into a website
format. This site should keep many harpers busy for years. I will also add
2nd and 3rd position keys in the future to assist those that like to play in
these positions.
This website has been designed to provide
visitors with several things I found lacking in numerous harmonica websites:
- a common notation method
that I have expounded by adding "rests" and "measures" to assist in timing.
- tab that directly relates to a MIDI on that page (look for
a "*" on that MIDI.
- the various keys that the song can be played in and, in
particular, the key of that MIDI and tab
- modification of a MIDI by altering the melody line to be
the sound of the harmonica (denoted by "-harp")
- the names of the various artists or band I have found that
have performed that song.
- the Beats Per Minute of that MIDI and tab to assist in
timing.
I find the easiest way to learn a new tune on
the harp is to listen to the song carefully several times. Then start with
with tabs provided on the sheets. After you feel comfortable with the
tabs, start the MIDI and play along. Don't worry about your mistakes.
After several runs through the song, you'll start to feel very comfortable.
Play it 3 or 4 times each day for a week and you'll be surprised to find that
you can actually learn a new song each week.
A tip: try to practice 2 or 3 songs you
feel comfortable with each day. If you know 300 songs, this will
take you about 3 months to practice all of them. Fairly soon, though,
you'll get that one particular song in your head and be able to grab the right
harp and play it. You'll hear the tune in your head and play to that
music.
This site is still under construction, and
these pages will be updated frequently, so stop by every so often to see what's
new. Please let me know if a link does not work and I will fix it as
quickly as I can.
Disclaimer:
All Midis are for educational and
entertainment purposes only. If any are copyrighted & should not be here, please
let me know, and they will be removed.
If you know the artist or group for
any song not shown, or if there are errors, please email me.
I would like to state at this time,
that I did not write any of these songs. I did not sequence any of these
midi files. They are or were taken from Public Domain for my personal use
on my personal website. I receive no commission, financial benefits, nor
favors for placing them on my site. I do not hold the copyright for these,
nor do I wish to violate anyone else's copy right to this material. I will
immediately remove any file that is in question of copyright violation. I
have and will also attempt to give credit to the original artist and songwriter.
In some instances this information has eluded me, and in some instances the
first recording may have been made by someone else that I do not know about.